My maternal grandmother passed away early this morning at her home with all of her children and my grandmother with her. She was 83 years old and lost her final battle with cancer. She was very prepared to die, though, and was looking forward to leaving this world and seeing what Heaven has in store for her.

So, even though she lived a long, full life and was ready to die, it doesn't make a difference in how much you miss that person. I discovered that with Mary. I think one of the biggest blessings of being able to prepare for a death like my grandma and her loved ones did is that you have this opportunity to just be together, laughing, crying, talking, sharing memories. You can say things that you may not have thought to say when a death is more sudden. That doesn't mean there aren't things you'll forget to say or do, but it definitely lessens the chance of regrets in that way. Just yesterday I was thinking about how nice it would be if Grandma were still alive to see the new pictures of Tylan and Cole that will probably be ready tomorrow. In one picture, Tylan is holding a flower and has a slightly devious smile on her face. I can just picture Grandma exclaiming, "Oh!" and telling me how pretty the picture is and how sweet Tylan looks holding that flower.

Grandma was one of the sweetest, calmest people I've ever known. I'm not sure if I ever heard her raise her voice. My mom takes after her so much in personality. Grandma always had something nice to say about you and was always so interested (or at least acted interested!) in what was going on with you. She always seemed to have a little treat for you, too. On our last trip to Mankato - at the beginning of the month - she had a bag of cheese doodles for the kids to take home. One of my favorite things she gave me when I was little was a little tin box with a handle. It had a strawberry design, and I think note paper was inside of it at one point. I may even still have that somewhere in the house. I know I kept it for many, many years.

Going to Grandma and Grandpa's house when they lived at the parsonage in Sanborn has so many happy memories associated with it. I loved that house. I imagine if I walked through it today it may not seem so large and magical, but as a child it was my dream house. I loved the sliding pocket doors that separated Grandpa's study from the living room. I thought it was so neat that their main floor bathroom had two (two!) doors - one opening to the study and one to the kitchen. I remember sitting at the long dining room table and coloring from a book or on paper from a drawer that always was full of something fun to do. Upstairs there was a playroom that opened up from their bedroom. The toys included dolls, games and other odds and ends that my mom and her siblings played with as children. Even the basement was exciting because we were able to go down to the refrigerator there and pick out a pop. I think I usually chose grape.

Even though it's been more than a dozen years since I lived near my grandparents, I will dearly miss her presence in my life both far and near. I can't tell you how happy I am that she was able to be close to so many family members during the latter part of her life, too.